Abstract

The present study is based primarily upon Kant's published works, his lectures on logic, and the logic Nachlass. Other philosophers and logicians are discussed to the extent to which their views help to clarify Kant's logical theory. ;The central argument of the Analytic is that there are certain features of the world which are due to the ways in which concepts can be connected to form judgments. The "logical functions" represent those primitive logical operations which are applied to concepts or other incomplete conceptual constituents to yield judgments. Kant's theory of singular representations can then be developed on the basis of a reconstruction of the system of logical constructions, his criticism of the theory of singular and abstract concepts, and the Merkmalslehre. Some of the constructions introduced by Kant yield 'non-standard' logical forms, that is, forms which are not based on the traditional theory of inference. The Combination Theory represents Kant's justification of his analysis of logical form and serves to connect his logical theory with the central argument of the Analytic. Kant interprets logic as the "grammar of thought," a conception which is based largely on his symbolist theory of thinking. Kant's view of logic must also be examined in relation to his theory of algebra and symbolic construction. The principal argument of his theory of inference is undermined by his view of the status of hypothetical and disjunctive judgments. Eventually, we must conclude that Kant was neither able to articulate a unified theory of logical form nor a consistent theory of inference